MMA champion Rasul Mirzayev on trial for killing a student
On August 24, a Moscow district court arrested mixed martial arts champion Rasul Mirzayev for killing student Ivan Agafonov in Moscow.
On August 13, near a downtown Moscow nightclub, Mirzayev punched Agafonov, 19, who was then taken to a hospital, where he died several days later after not regaining consciousness.
The district court released Mirzayev on 5 million ruble ($179,000) bail on August 22, but the very next day, the Moscow City Court overruled the decision and remanded the case for another bail hearing. In the photo, left: Mirzayev’s attorney Igor Dergachyov.
At his interrogation, Mirzayev said that he hit Agafonov in self-defense. According to the interrogation record, he did not admit his guilt, but did apologize to Agafonov’s relatives. He also turned himself in voluntarily.
"Mirzayev does not deny hitting Agafonov, but does not admit his guilt in the death. Our position is that Agafonov died not of Mirzayev’s punch, but of falling against the asphalt pavement,” explained Mirzayev’s attorney Igor Dergachyov.